Terminus
|born=23rd |died= |species= |gender=Male |height= |weight= |skin=Grey |hair=Black |eyes=Icy blue |affiliation= * *Covenant Loyalists **Shadow Covenant |branch= |garrison= |unit= |rank= |title= |era= * * * |battles= }}Terminus was the Commander of the after . History Terminus was originally a skilled that served in the Covenant military. During the Battle of Medina, Terminus implemented ruthless terror tactics that served to break the morale of the human defenders. During the siege, he and his pack stole a Pelican dropship and used false signals and miscommunication to launch a surprise attack on a UNSC military base, seizing control of it and helping to ensure the fall of the planet. After the battle, Terminus caught the eye of the , who summoned him for a "special assignment". Truth, who was plotting to replace the Sangheili with the Jiralhanae, elevated him to a position of power and Terminus became one of Truth’s personal assassins. Terminus was tasked with eliminating "suspect" Sangheili, those Truth felt were lacking in faith, deemed incompetent, or deemed were heretics. In actuality, Truth was eliminating those who would pose a threat to coming Great Schism. It was around this time that Terminus learned of the conspiracy against the Sangheili, and alongside and Astraeus, Terminus would become one of the high-ranking Jiralhanae who would lead the Covenant military with him as Special Operations Commander of the Covenant. Before the assassination of Regret, Truth had ordered Terminus to begin assembling his new Covenant Special Operation to replace the Sangheili-dominated one and Terminus went about gathering recruits. He handpicked the deadliest Jiralhanae warriors in the Covenant military, only the most skilled, efficient, disciplined, and unquestionably loyal were deemed worthy. Many of his SpecOps candidates were former prisoners released by Truth at his request. One of his known activities around this time was to organize a spy network to watch each Supreme Commander and Imperial Admiral, with particular eyes on some Shipmasters who may prove to be a threat to the Great Journey. Eventually in , during the , Terminus was asked by Truth for a demonstration of his new SpecOps. As a test, Terminus was ordered to attack and to accomplish this goal without being observed by the Sangheili. While the Sangheili were preoccupied with besieging Reach, Terminus led 3,000 of his newly trained Jiralhanae SpecOps in a surprise assault on the world. First, their jammed the human's communications while they boarded the planet's main orbital habitat and sabotaged it so that it would fall into the atmosphere. Then under the cover of the raining debris, Terminus launched a surprise night-time assault using drop pods. Completely caught unprepared and being cut to pieces by an invisible army, Human resistance was crushed within two nights. Truth was most pleased by his results. Great Schism After the assassination of the Regret and the , Truth officially appointed Terminus as Special Operations Commander of the Covenant to replace Rtas ‘Vadumee. After taking his post, Terminus quickly went about making several reforms to Special Operations. The Unggoy were completely removed from Covenant Special Operations and Kig-Yar were employed instead to a less degree. The new Special Operations would place greater emphasis on using terror tactics and were tasked with monitoring internal affairs on behalf of Truth. Upon Truth's orders, Terminus and the now Jiralhanae-led Special Operations partook in the great purge of the Sangheili. His forces attacked the Sangheili across High Charity, intent on ruthless extermination and taking revenge for years of subordination. They struck on other worlds as well, carrying out the assassination of high-ranking Sangheili, including a failed attempt on Xytan 'Jar Wattinree. However, Terminus’ time as SpecOps Commander would be short-lived as the Flood invaded High Charity and the Parasite began to rapidly spread across the holy city. Terminus tried desperately to stem the tide of Flood and contain the outbreak but his efforts were rapidly proving futile. With no choice remaining, Terminus evacuated as many troops as he could and escaped High Charity. Shadow Commander Personality and Traits Like most high-ranking and powerful Jiralhanae, Terminus was proud and cruel, born with the gift of a killing mind. However, unlike many of this kind, he was also very patient and coldblooded, amalgamating brute strength and razor-sharp precision. Terminus was arrogant but not vain, preferring his subordinates refer to him by his legitimate title of Special Operations Commander. As the lawfully appointed Special Operations Commander of the Covenant, as decreed by the Prophet of Truth, Terminus saw himself as the last remaining loyal commander of the Covenant as well as the last bastion of legitimacy left. He was as ruthless as he was pragmatic. As displayed by his Post-War exploits, he willing to work with other species if it helped achieve his goals, such as pirates and mercenaries. A highly effective commander, he commanded his subordinates through fear and discipline. Terminus was also a master of terror tactics and psychological warfare, possessing an acute understanding of the inner workings of the mind, specifically how to inspire fear. He was also an innovative tactician and a staunch progressive when it came to strategy. Terminus always had a fascination with the human's Orbital Drop Shock Troops and emulated their tactics on several occasions. He heavily incorporated the use of drop pod tactics into the Shadow Covenant's military doctrine, showing his ability to use the UNSC's own tactics against them. Category:Brutes